Despite substantial policy efforts made by the French government to reduce dependence on pesticides, farming practices are only changing slowly. This paper analyses the socio-economic trade-offs that 110 farmers are currently facing in the transition to agro-ecological practices. A mixed-method approach - a quantitative discrete choice experiment (DCE) and qualitative interviews - was set up to understand these farmers' motivations and perspectives, and how policy can improve to accompany them on the road to low chemical input farming. Results of the DCE indicate that the majority of the farmers in our sample are keen to change practices but are at a loss as to how this can be done, as a number of preferences for this transition came out as inconclusive. Qualitative interviews with a representative sample of the farmers that took part in the DCE complemented this result by illustrating a deep uncertainty for the future and a disconnect felt between authorities and themselves as a group. We argue that this uncertainty contributed to a lack of clear-cut solutions established through the DCE. The in-depth discussions with farmers illustrated the wish for concrete and local policy measures based on farmers' networks and peer support.

尽管法国政府为减少对杀虫剂的依赖做出了巨大的政策努力，但耕作方式只是在缓慢地改变。本文分析了 110 名农民目前在向农业生态实践转型过程中面临的社会经济权衡。建立了一种混合方法——定量离散选择实验 (DCE) 和定性访谈——以了解这些农民的动机和观点，以及如何改进政策以陪伴他们走上低化学投入农业的道路。DCE 的结果表明，我们样本中的大多数农民都热衷于改变做法，但不知道如何做到这一点，因为对这种转变的许多偏好都没有定论。对参加 DCE 的农民的代表性样本进行的定性访谈通过说明未来的深刻不确定性以及当局与他们自己作为一个群体之间的脱节来补充这一结果。我们认为，这种不确定性导致缺乏通过 DCE 建立的明确解决方案。与农民的深入讨论表明了基于农民网络和同行支持的具体和地方政策措施的愿望。